1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to musical instrument cases, and more particularly to a musical instrument case for carrying wind instruments having bells such as, but not limited to, trombones, trumpets, bugles, and clarinets.
2. Description of the Prior and/or Contemporaneous Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 270,640 issued to W. H. Cundy on Jan. 6, 1883; 773,061 issued to H. Cohen on Oct. 25, 1904; 1,888,927 issued to A. S. Lang on Nov. 22, 1932; and 1,900,718 issued to A. S. Lang on Mar. 7, 1933 disclose conventional musical instrument carrying cases which, as almost all other cases in the art, generally fall into two classes. One class includes the type of musical instrument bag shown in Cohen. Such a bag is often referred to by musicians as a "gig bag". This type of bag or case has been popular for years among trombone players who found this type of form fitting case, sometimes fabricated of vinyl, light and easy to carry. The soft feel and appearance of the gig bag is also an appealing feature. Unfortunately, the gig bag provides little protection for an instrument stored therein against denting and springing, that is, disturbing the alignment of the slide of an instrument like a trombone. Also, because of its construction causing an instrument disposed therein to be vulnerable, a gig bag is generally carried under the arm of the user to protect the instrument, a quite uncomfortable requirement.
The other class of musical instrument cases known in the art is the rigid conventional, inevitably square cornered factory case which generally protects the instrument disposed therein, especially the slide in the case of a trombone, but which is heavy, bulky, and significantly less attractive than the aforenoted gig bag. An advantage of such a case is the room for storage of various items necessary for a musician.
Until the teachings of the present invention, features which greatly enhance the utility of either type of instrument case have not been provided or suggested in the art. The present invention provides a musical instrument case which incorporates, through unique structure, the advantages of both types of musical instrument cases and entirely avoids their disadvantages. In addition, the present invention provides a musical instrument case which is attractive, which protects the instruments stored therein, and which incorporates a hollow lid which serves as a sole means for access to the instrument case as well as storage means for storing desired items.